a) Field of the Invention
Clamping lock for an antiskid chain with a housing to which is fitted an actuating lever having a catch position in which a clamping rope which can be pulled through a housing opening into the housing for purposes of clamping can be locked against its clamping direction and having a second position in which it can be released from this locking.
b) Description of the Related Art
Such clamping locks are used in antiskid chains in order to prevent the clamping member which can be formed of a length of chain or, e.g., a flexible wire, from running back in an undesirable manner opposite to the clamping direction when clamping the chain netting after mounting and, accordingly, to ensure that the displacements of the clamping rope caused in the pulling or tightening direction cannot be canceled, i.e., to ensure that the clamping rope is held in the clamping position that has been achieved.
In known clamping locks, the clamping rope is guided through the clamping lock and along a deflecting element that is arranged inside the housing of the clamping lock, whereupon it exits again from the housing of the clamping lock and can be grasped by the user in order to exert the desired pulling action. When the chain netting is clamped, the portion of the clamping rope hanging out of the housing on the pull-out side is then suitably hooked into the outer side chain (usually with the intermediary of an elastically stretchable link at the end of the clamping rope) or elsewhere in the chain netting on the side of the chain external to the vehicle.
A clamping lock of this type is known from EP-B-0 385 057. In this case, an actuating lever is provided at the housing and is pretensioned in a catch position by means of a spring and has a catch nose by which it engages in the catch position in a link of the clamping member formed as a length of chain, wherein the latter is locked in position against the clamping direction and is released in a positive-locking manner when the clamping member is moved in the clamping direction due to the special configuration of the catch nose. This enables a movement of the clamping member through the clamping lock in the pulling direction, while an automatic locking is effected opposite to the pulling direction. However, the user can cancel the locking when desired by pressing on the actuating lever and can accordingly make it possible for the clamping member to run freely through the clamping lock, e.g., in order to cancel the clamping of the chain netting when removing the chain.
In another known clamping lock (DE-A-40 39 665) which is likewise constructed in the manner mentioned above, the clamping rope can be introduced into the housing laterally via an insertion slot extending along the entire height of the housing of the clamping lock, which facilitates insertion of the clamping rope into the housing, while the clamping of the chain netting is carried out in the same manner as that of the known clamping lock described above.
In clamping locks of this type, the clamping force must be applied manually to the clamping member by the user who must pull with suitable force in the clamping direction on the end of the clamping rope running out of the housing until achieving the desired clamped position of the chain netting on the wheel. The end of the clamping rope hanging out on the pulling side must then be fastened in a suitable manner on the outside of the chain netting, likewise accompanied by tension, so that a clamped fit is finally achieved overall. In this way, the user can initially achieve a tight fit of the chain while clamping it to the wheel, but when the vehicle is moved, the occurring forces cause the chain to settle on the circumference of the wheel so that the applied tension is reduced and it becomes necessary to tighten the clamping rope again after traveling a certain distance. Only in this way can the chain be prevented from assuming a loose fit on the wheel with all of the consequent disadvantages (such as inadequate effect, loud chain noise during driving, risk of damage to the chain or to other parts of the vehicle by loose chain components) in spite of an initial firm clamping due to the settling movements of the chain itself.